Taking the 'ho' out of 'hotel'

An ordinance under consideration by City Council would target the oldest profession by making it a crime for hotel and motel employees to rent rooms knowing they would be used for prostitution. The problem is that the law would require a high burden of proof — police would have to prove in municipal court that a motel employee knew a room would be used to turn a trick. Houstonist doesn't make a habit of hanging around seedy motels, so we don't know exactly how the motel clerk would know prostitution would take place. After all, these days it's getting harder to tell the hookers from the non-hookers. That's apparently the concern of some councilmembers:

Councilman Michael Berry asked how police would be able to prove that employees knew rooms were used for prostitution, and whether motel clerks would be required to ask their customers the nature of their business.

"Why you all are doing this is for all the right reasons," he told [HPD Capt. Steven] Jett during the hearing. "I just want to make sure it can withstand legal scrutiny."

Councilwoman Toni Lawrence, who also supported the intent of the plan, asked, "Are we creating something that's not going to be useful?"

But police ensured that the law actually would be enforceable:

Prosecutions under the ordinance would be possible, Jett said, only in situations in which undercover police officers overheard a motel employee specifically discussing prostitution or sex acts.

Jett said the 20 officers assigned to enforcing prostitution laws would be able to make cases because they have witnessed instances in which motel employees receive small kickbacks from prostitutes or sell condoms over the front desk counter.

That does make more sense than the way we initially envisioned things going down, where a motel clerk would winkingly ask, "Are you with us for business or pleasure ... or a little of both?" The proposed law doesn't stop at motels, though — it would also make it illegal to knowingly rent a room, house or building for prostitution, though properties in which a renter stays for more than 27 days continually would be exempted. So knowingly renting a building out as a brothel is OK as long as someone lives there?

Violations of the ordinance would carry a fine of up to $2,000. Council could consider the proposed law as early as next week.